Month: June 2015

Sorry for no post yesterday. I had to take a personal day, both from work and from the blog. I’d rather not go into the reason why.

But never mind that, because I have a happy note with which to start this post: Congratulations to my friends Lee and Lisa, who got married yesterday evening at a resort about 30 minutes outside Cancun. Lee lived in Memphis from 2006ish to 2010 when his job transferred him to another cities. He is one of the most solid guys I have ever known in my life – always someone I could turn to for great advice. Lisa is his high school sweetheart. I wish you many, many happy years together.

Independence Day is the free movie being shown on the big screen at Beale Street Landing this evening. The show starts at 8:30.

“Hot Rods on Beale” happens tonight starting at 6 PM.

It’s dollar King Cotton hot dog night at the Redbirds. The Oklahoma City Dodgers are the opponent and first pitch is 7:05.

Are you proud to be an American? Show your knowledge of our great nation tomorrow night at 7 at America trivia with Kevin Cerrito at Tap & Tamp. Some great prizes are up for grabs.

For the first time ever, Elvis Week will include a tutorial on the King and his impact on popular culture.

So, anyway, about my personal day yesterday… Sometimes it’s nice to have a bar around the corner that opens super early. Usually I’m not a fan of ordering my first beer at 8:54 in the morning, but yesterday it was much needed. The Today Show was on at Bardog and as the clock moved into the 10:00 hour we got “The Scoop with Kathie Lee and Hoda.” As I watched, I thought to myself, how in the world do people watch this show WITHOUT drinking? It was awful. Man, if I were a housewife, I’d probably need several handles of vodka a week to get through that show.

Possibly the most important match of the entire Women’s World Cup happens tonight: USA vs. Germany at 6 PM Central time. Mashable has a preview of the match. I can think of no better place to watch than Max’s Sports Bar, so I will head that way after work.

Don’t forget that today is Canada Day at Kooky Canuck. Drink specials, Canadian menu.

Jimmy Ogle leads a free tour on Mud Island today at 2. If you want to join him, meet him at Greenbelt Park at Island Drive North. The tour will progress to the Wolf River Harbor.

It’s Faith & Family Night at the Redbirds tonight. Local churches and worship centered organizations are encouraged to come out. First 2500 kids get an ice cream treat, and kids run the bases after the game. The opponent is the Colorado Sky Sox and first pitch is 6:05.

It’s Sunday, and that means it’s time for D-RANKS with B-RAD at the Blind Bear for brunch. I’ll lead off there then figure the rest of the day out. The past few Sunday Fun Days have been epic and I expect nothing less from this one.

A retweet of a customer’s photo by Blues City Cafe yesterday led me to an awesome discovery: The restaurant now has gumbo cheese fries. OMG. Want. These. Now.

The MBJ has a photo gallery of Quench. See inside the new liquor and wine store on Second that has its grand opening today at 2.

The Redbirds have added four new promo giveaways this season. On July 30, the first 1500 fans will receive a bobblehead of iconic Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith.

On July 31, the first 1500 fans will receive a replica St. Louis Cardinals 1982 World Series ring.

On August 16, the first 1500 fans will receive a replica Cardinals 1985 NLCS ring.

On August 21, the first 1500 fans take home a bobblehead of St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter. Carpenter is a former Redbird.

A new hotel on N. Front Street between Overton and Jackson will provide a cheaper option than Bass Pro’s Big Cypress Lodge for people wanting to stay in the Pinch. The Front Street hotel’s rooms will start at $120, whereas the Bass Pro hotel’s rooms start at $350.

In case you’ve been living in a cave the past 4 hours or so: The Supreme Court of the United States legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. It was a 5-4 vote, Justice Kennedy siding with the liberals. When I was in grade school, I remember learning about landmark decisions like Brown v. Board of Education and Miranda v. Arizona. Today’s decision will sit alongside them. Although the decision does not affect me personally, it makes me proud to be an American.

“The right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person.” Amen.

I can’t wait to be invited to my first gay wedding reception. Let’s face it, gay people throw the best parties.

The SCOTUS decision is not my only reason for celebration this morning. The creator of the Pudding Shots Facebook Fan Page emailed to thank me for mentioning the page on my blog. I’m kind of a big deal in the world of pudding shots.

Number of Moody Ques members who have received an email from the creator of the pudding shots page: 1. Number of Squeal Street BBQ members who have received an email from the creator of the pudding shots page: 0. Just sayin’.

The Flying Saucer is having an oversized beer pong tournament on July 4. $10 to enter. American beers will be on Fire Sale all day. Compete for “a kick-ass grand prize” (i.e. whatever swag they can get their beer distributors to donate).

Stax Music Academy performs in a free show at Handy Park for the Memphis Jams on Beale concert series tonight at 6.

My happy hour bartenders this week: Mary, fav pair of librarian glasses, Jessica, fav pair of librarian glasses, and (assuming schedule is the same as last Friday) Mary. Remember when I used to do happy hour at the Saucer five days a week? My how times have changed. All the bartenders I named are former Saucer girls who now work at other bars.

Undecided whether I will hit South Main Green Bus Night tonight. Depends on the weather really. Outta here for now. Possibly another post around 5:30.

Before I get started with the news… CITY ENGINEERS: Is there any way you can sync the light at Second and Poplar with the other lights on Second? Since about a week ago, it’s an extra stop at Poplar, then an extra stop at Washington. Irritating.

Pam & Terry play Blind Bear tonight at 10!!!!!!!! I had an early bedtime last night (9:30ish) but that will not be the case this evening! Going to stay up at least through their first set! They like to take pictures of their fans and I want to stay through that too, so 11:30 will be about the earliest I will get home.

“Spill the Beans with us” is the theme at the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday. Beans are among the many produce offerings you can find at the Market, and from 9 to 12 Saturday kids can make their own “shake, rattle and roll” bean shakers. “If you’ve got the time, we’ve got the beans!” reads this weekend’s newsletter. (Frank, you wrote that, didn’t you?) You can donate blood to the Red Cross (schedule a time here), and each donor will be given a $5 token to spend at the Market. There will be pet adoptions by Real Good Dog Rescue. Live music by Paul Waits 8:30 to 10. 7 AM to 1 PM, pavilion at the corner of Front and G.E. Patterson.

Weather permitting, I plan on hitting the Market from about 10:00-10:40 Saturday, before my walk north to Panda Time at Bardog. Wonder if I will see the girl at whom I was throwing wadded-up napkins Sunday at Blind Bear… I do see her at MFM from time to time. If I see her this week, I’ll buy her a sunflower from the Whitton Farms booth to say “thanks for being a good sport Sunday” and as a peace offering in general. It really is time we made amends.

Speaking of Panda Time, I will be minus my “DAWG” John D Saturday because he is one of the people who went to Mexico for a wedding. If anyone wants to keep me company, I’ll be around… Bardog 11 AM. Usually I stay until 1 but Saturday I will probably extend my stay until 2, then go over to Second Street for the opening of new liquor/wine store Quench.

There was a a meeting about Race for the Cure for Downtown business owners yesterday at Cafe Keough. At least 20,000 runners are expected on October 31, and leaders and business owners brainstormed ways to maximize the impact of this new race Downtown. Little Rock’s race draws 30,000, it was said, and Memphis being a larger city should aim for even a larger turnout.

Work is done, blog post is done, and it’s time to get out for the evening. Normally Silly Goose is my first Thursday stop, but with so many people out of the town I think I will mix it up tonight. Happy hour with my favorite pair of librarian glasses at the Blind Bear, then over to Flying Saucer to knock a few beers off my 9th plate, then back to the Bear for Pam & Terry. It’s a Saucer sandwich with Bear bread.

Are you a hardcore Grizzlies fan? Use your knowledge of the team to earn yourself some prizes. Grizzlies trivia with Kevin Cerrito tonight at the Green Beetle, 8 PM. Dress in your Grizz gear, because the team with the most Grizz spirit will win a special bonus prize.

1995 teen movie Clueless plays on the big screen at the Orpheum tonight. Pre-movie fashion show by Crazy Beautiful. $7 adults, $5 kids under 12, show starts at 7 PM.

Transit is the featured entertainment at tonight’s Peabody rooftop party. $10 cover, doors open at 6, ladies free until 7. Admission includes an Asian buffet (7-8) of fried rice and chicken egg rolls with sweet & sour sauce. If you’re in VIP you get a second buffet (7-9:30) of chicken satay, sweet & sour meatballs, and California rolls. Lychee margaritas will be on special, and the bar promo is Red Lotus. There will be a raffle for Sunday brunch for two at Capriccio Grill.

In the news: Hackers stole details of the sex lives of U.S. government workers. Data was gathered when workers applied for security clearances. Any deviant or high-risk sexual behavior or pattern of alcohol abuse was noted, among other things. The higher the clearance, the more data was gathered. If this data got in the hands of foreign countries, there could be blackmail potential that could lead to spilled secrets. Yikes, not good.

The Grizzlies have traded for small forward Matt Barnes. One sports writer on Twitter called him “the most Memphis player not already in Memphis” and other sports writers were commenting that his grit & grind is right up there with Z-bo and Tony Allen.

Gotta run errands in the remainder of my lunch break, so I gotta hit Publish. However, I will have at least 5 more news stories in a post to go up around 5:30 this evening. Topics will include Memphis Farmers Market, Race for the Cure, virtual rock climbing and more, so check back.

Last night I was bored, playing around on my phone, looking at Facebook. Several of my friends on there had just taken a “Which dog breed are you?” quiz. That quiz intrigued me because I have never been a dog owner – I have nothing against them, just never had circumstances where owning a dog would make sense. So I figured, this is a test I can take bias-free. I have no preferred breed.

I answered the 10 questions, and a fluffy, white, well-groomed POODLE appeared on my phone’s screen. I didn’t have a particular breed to aspire to, but that is certainly not the one I expected as the result! There were several paragraphs explaining why I am a poodle, but to boil it down to one sentence: “You are smart and social, but you prefer to lie around and let others do the hard work.” I can just imagine the BBQ team’s reaction. “Yep! He’s totally a poodle!”

I ran into local poet IQ last night and he told me there is going to be a poetry slam a week from today, Wednesday, July 1, in the downstairs of the Brass Door from 8 to 11 PM. It will be your last chance to catch IQ before he heads out of town.

South Main Sounds at 550 S. Main is having Singer-Songwriter Nught #9 this Friday evening in conjunction with South Main Green Bus Night. Local talent will sing original tunes. The lineup includes Kenny Hays, Christine Conley, Evan Farris, Frank McLallen Sr., Stephen Sciara and Maria Spence. Green Bus Night happens from 6 until 9 or later in the South Main District the last Friday of the month, with many of the shops staying open late, some offering free cocktails, beer, wine, and/or appetizers and some stores having Green Bus Night discounts. (Note: Some people refer to it as Trolley Night)

Today was supposed to be cutoff day for 100 N. Main. If the owner of the tallest building in Memphis could not pay the $86,000+ he owed MLGW, power was going to be cut. However, local hospitals have critical communication equipment atop the building, and shutting off electricity could affect life-or-death situations. The hospitals made a deal with MLGW which gives them a month to get the equipment moved.

Here’s a pic of that new hot dog pizza from Pizza Hut that I mentioned the other day. The outer crust of the pizza is mini-hot dogs. I’m not saying I think this pizza is a good idea, but if you have a 9-year-old they’re probably going to want one.

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter for Facebook Messenger anymore. At least not for me.

Seriously, though, I’ve learned something recently. Use Evernote as a staging ground for texts and PMs. It gives you a chance to refine your message, as well as think, “Is sending this a bad idea?” This won’t eliminate all your drunk, stupid messages, but it will minimize them at least.

A friend of mine has a lost dog, missing for several days, lost near Macon and Dent and recently seen in the area of Mt. Pisgah Middle School:

I don’t know how many Cordova/Eads readers I have, but if you see her in this area, she answers to “Bella” although she is a little shy. This is a long shot, but over the years I have reunited 3 lost dogs with their owners using this blog, and none of them were Downtown. Let’s see if we can make it 4. Email me at paul@paulryburn.com if you have the dog or information on where she was last seen, and I will pass it on to the owner.

The Moody Ques wanted me to run a contest on this blog, but I have decided to defer it for a week because two of the team leaders will not be in town to discuss the responses. Look for the contest in early July.

Downtown lunch spot Sam’s Hamburgers is now on Twitter. Follow the restaurant at @SamsBurgersMem.

I’m leading off at Silly Goose for happy hour after work. I’ve been drafted to play Blind Bear trivia at 8, so that looks like the lineup for tonight. Too damn hot to go anywhere for lunch, so I guess bacon jerky and trail mix is the lunch plan for a second consecutive day.

FanDuel, the global leader in one-day fantasy sports, has signed a partnership with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are the 13th NBA team to sign a partnership with FanDuel and 16 NFL teams have as well. There will be in-arena interactive experiences, although you don’t have to be at the games to play. FanDuel will be integrated into Grizzlies media promotions as well. I’ve never used FanDuel but friends of mine have and they enjoy it. As I understand it, you pick what league you want to join based on buy-in amount, choose your players, and see what happens. “I play the Saturday and Sunday games and if I win, the money is in my PayPal account Monday morning,” one of my friends told me.

(I have to insert my usual gripe that people can play cash leagues on FanDuel legally, but the government says it’s illegal for my to get on PokerStars and play a cash game or cash buy-in tournament. I would argue that poker is as much a game of skill as fantasy sports.)

If you drive on South Main, you may want to find an alternate route for a little while. Paul Morris who runs DMC tweeted that paving will start Monday on South Main between Peabody Place and Talbot and will last for two weeks. I guess it takes extra long to pave Main because of the trolley tracks.

Couple of pieces of job news this afternoon. First of all, Ghost River is hiring for a part-time sales position. They’re looking for a person who is an enthusiastic lover of Ghost River beers. Send a resume to Suzanne@ghostriverbrewing.com to apply.

Action News 5 reports that a Staffing 101 job fair will be held Thursday. Positions include forklift operators, light industrial, clerical, IT and call center. They have immediate openings, and expect to see applicants in professional attire.

Swarm by Foursquare, the app where you check in at your favorite places, has brought back mayorships. They were removed about a year ago and there was a huge protest. The person who checks into a venue the most in the past 2 months (only one checkin a day counts) becomes the “mayor” of that venue. Swarm has been accumulating checkins for the past month and has awarded mayorships based on that period of time.

Once I found that out, I updated the app, viewed my history, and discovered that I have done something I never managed to do when we had mayorships the first time. I had become mayor of 4 of the 5 bars I refer to as my “Big Five,” the five places I go the most. I am the new mayor of Bardog Tavern, Blind Bear (where they never stopped referring to me as mayor), Flying Saucer (a little surprised I got that one back), and Silly Goose. The only bar that eludes me is Max’s Sports Bar. I’ve been spending time in South Main more but I will never catch Otto and steal that one.

I’m not going to work to try to defend mayorships this time around, though (except for Blind Bear). I’m going to go where I want, and if I lose mayorships, so be it.

John Mellencamp plays The Orpheum tonight at 7:30.

Meanwhile, over at Beale Street Landing, Monsters Inc. will be shown on the big screen tonight at 8:30.

The Redbirds begin a homestand vs. Nashville tonight at 7:05. There are $1 King Cotton hot dogs at Tuesday games.

Live music alert: There will be another Charvey Mac appearance Downtown this week. The talented singer will play Beale Street Landing once again Friday from 6 to 8.

Congratulations to the Memphis Zoo, ranked as one of the top 10 zoos by Fodor Travel.

While we’re on the subject of MemphisWeather.net, they explained a partial cause of the haze we experienced yesterday: Dirt from the Sahara desert in Africa was in the atmosphere! Also, MWN reported that the aurora borealis was seen as far south as Iowa last night.

Bars can program their point-of-sale system touch screens so that they have their own button. That way, when someone orders, say, a margarita, the bartender doesn’t have to waste time typing M-A-R-G-A-R-I-T-A into the system; they just hit the button and get on with making the drink. Last night I was in Blind Bear for happy hour, and Mary showed me the newest button on their screen: “Duck Fart.” It’s official: My blog has brought the duck fart back. Now I need to spread it to other bars.

Well damn. Chevrolet is bringing back the Chevelle for the 2016 model year. Everything old is new again.

Tomorrow is the beginning of a rather odd 10-day period for me. Many of the crew I run around with are heading out of town. We have several people flying to Mexico for a wedding, and one person in Spokane for a training. I will get through it fine though; I enjoy hanging out by myself at times. Plus, I have a birthday party to attend at a venue I love, and a new friend to hang out with one day this weekend.

As for tonight, I have no idea what my plans are. One option is head south and lead off at Max’s Sports Bar; that would be a sure winner if it wasn’t so damn hot outside and so far away from home. Another possibility is to stop by Silly Goose and see if any of my friends are there for one last happy hour in Memphis before they leave town. Then there’s always a little bonus Panda Time at Bardog. It’ll be a game-time decision. Time to hit Target to see if they still carry bacon jerky, then back for a few more hours of work before I get out.

2015 is the year I rediscovered South Main. About 5 yesterday I was at Blind Bear, my favorite pair of librarian glasses behind the bar, when I thought, “Hey, Max’s Sports Bar is open. I think I’ll head down there.” So I tabbed out and began the walk south.

I had been going for 6 hours already at that point, and I realized I needed to get something to eat. Max’s has great steamed sandwiches, but I just wasn’t in a sandwich kind of mood yesterday. “Double J is across the street,” I thought. “They have great food. I’ll eat there.” I pulled up their menu on my phone. Back when they rolled out the Loft Bar, they had three pizzas exclusively upstairs. I guess the pizza business went well, because Double J expanded to a full lineup of pizzas available both up and down.

There was a bacon cheeseburger pizza. That brought back fond memories. Anyone remember the Italian buffet at Poplar Plaza, in the location that is now a Chinese buffet? I was a grad student at the University of Memphis at the time and would go there between classes. They had several pizzas on the buffet and one of them was a bacon cheeseburger pizza. So good. I decided to see if Double J’s take on the pie would measure up.

Indeed it did. Cheesy yumminess with hamburger, bacon, cherry tomatoes, onions, and just a hint of mustard. It was a 9-inch pizza, slightly more than I could finish but I put a good dent in it. I want to try more of Double J’s pizzas. Of particular interest is “The Undertaker,” which has several meats, pineapple, and jalapeno. Normally I don’t like pineapple on pizza but I think the jalapeno would balance it out and make for an interesting taste. I will get back there soon to try The Undertaker, maybe as soon as today.

PRO TIP: Let your pizza sit and cool off for about 3 minutes after it comes out. Much easier to eat if you do this.

I didn’t know the bartender at the Loft Bar, and when I came in I’m pretty sure she wondered if I was a bum. I was sweating from the 3/4-mile walk down there and my hair, 4 months since cut, was going this way and that. I looked like a beach bum who had just stepped off the Greyhound from San Diego. Not sure I convinced the bartender I was not a bum by the time I left, but at least she now knows I’m a bum who leaves 30% tips.

Across the street to Max’s I went, where I got to hang out with four of my favorite people – Gary and Boo, Bad Shane and Leigh. A few weeks ago I mentioned on Facebook that I felt like I was in a rut in my life, and Gary suggested I spend more time in South Main. I have done just that. It was an excellent suggestion. This is the first month ever that I have spent more time at Max’s than I have Flying Saucer. Walking down there is good exercise and I enjoy getting to see my South Main friends as much as I do my Downtown core friends.

Thanks to Bad Shane and Leigh for the ride home. If I had walked it, that could have been a bit scary, especially with all the sidewalk construction in South Main. I need to re-do my list of top five Fireball pushers. Michele at Max’s has made the list for sure and might even me number 1 now.

You know, I have a holiday suggestion. We have Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day. There needs to be a holiday where you honor those who helped you find where you fit in. I remember back in March 2003, when I was invited to Sunday brunch at Sleep Out Louie’s. Bad Shane and Leigh were there. I was introduced to them, and they immediately made me feel welcome, as though I had been part of the gang for years and years. I couldn’t wait until the next Sunday to hang out with them again. I will always be grateful to them for making me feel like I belonged – and I do belong.

(And yeah, I have selfish reasons for suggesting this holiday, because I know a lot of people found where they fit in because of my blog. I like presents!)

All right. After all the pizza ‘n beer yesterday, it’s time for a juice cleanse to repent for my sins. The good thing about living Downtown is that there’s a health clinic called the Blind Bear right down the street. My cleanse will be supervised by nutritionist B-RAD and the juice will be PBR flavored. B-RAD also has a health drink called the duck fart which combines three all-natural ingredients and which is said to be excellent for colon health. I will probably poop more than all the dogs in my apartment building combined, but that’s OK. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads reading this blog, and here’s to a day of healthy living!